


all the things that can be remembered (they can come back).

by jonghyunkin



Category: SHINee
Genre: And Jonghyun never fails to mention it, Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, End of the World, Everyone is hungry, Gay people save the world, Happy Ending, Illnesses, Jinki just wants everyone to Remember, Jonghyun is Gay Confused Yearning and Does Not Get It, Kibum and Minho are disgustingly in love, M/M, Mentioned Kim Jongin | Kai, Mentioned Kim Taehyung | V, Minor Angst, Only Brief Blood and Gore, Post-Apocalypse, Science Fiction, Side Kim Kibum/Choi Minho, Taemin is God Adjacent, Taemin is the carer of the group, This one really does a number on Jinki's self confidence, Time Travel, hunger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-19 00:57:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22869313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonghyunkin/pseuds/jonghyunkin
Summary: In a post apocalyptic world, where winter is eternal, and mankind has forgotten fire, Kim Jonghyun, a hunter come looter, is hoping to bring back food for his dying community, but he gets more than he bargained for when he is saved by a lone traveller, with a plan - and more importantly, a flame.
Relationships: Kim Jonghyun/Lee Jinki | Onew
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15
Collections: Winter of SHINee





	1. Eternal Winter

**Author's Note:**

> hewwo babies!!! this fic is part of the WINTER OF 5HINEE fic fest!! this prompt stuck out to me so much and i just knew i had to take it :') i love sci-fi and i wanted to put my own little twist on the whole apocalypse things
> 
> I hope that whoever sent in this prompt loves what i came up with!! i rly got into my science feelings w this one, and i was heavily heavily inspired by doctor who for it :D time traveller jinki is maybe the best thing ive ever ever come up with

Jonghyun’s mother had always taught him that he was stronger than his anger, that gentleness was never a sign of weakness, but as he sat in the skeleton of his old home, looking up to the sky that was once scattered with light, he thought that maybe his mother was wrong. 

Dwelling on the past had never been Jonghyun’s style, but then again, neither had forgetting everything that had happened in his life – but here he was, doing both of those things in tandem, wondering why, how, when this had all happened. 

When had the stars started to go out, when had the sky become a cavern of darkness – he wasn’t sure, but what he did know is that he was forgetting, a huge part of his life was missing, and he didn’t know where it had gone, had it not been for Taemin, he was sure that he wouldn’t even know why the landscape in Seoul had become a barren wasteland catering only to the 20 people that remained. 

“Hyung?” Taemin said, stepping through the ghost of a doorway that led into the partially covered foundations of Jonghyun’s old apartment, “Everything okay?”

“When did it get this bad, Taemin?” Jonghyun pondered, half to himself, half to his younger, “I can’t remember anything. Nothing except you, Kibum and Minho.”

“It’s okay, Jonghyun, we’re rebuilding. It’s going to be okay, hyung.” Taemin said, laying a dainty palm against the back of Jonghyun’s neck, and pinching lightly, “Relax, please.”

“Taemin, you know I love you, but we can’t keep pretending that something weird hasn’t happened.” Jonghyun said, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes, wiping the tiredness away, “You’re saying it’s going to be okay, but do you remember the last time it wasn’t freezing cold? Why can’t anyone remember what it was like not to be cold, and miserable. God, Taemin, can you even fathom what it would be like to have stew right now? Do you even remember what stew is?”

“I know you mean well, and I know you’re trying to solve a problem here, hyung, but this isn’t my fault. I’m not ignorant to what’s going on, you should know I’m one of the only ones here who’s noticed. Besides, you haven’t eaten in days. You can barely solve the apocalypse on an empty stomach.” Taemin said, taking his hand from Jonghyun’s neck and patting him on the back, with the same gentleness that his own mother had promoted from his youngest years, 

Jonghyun couldn’t help but smile, somehow even in his darkest moments, Taemin was able to make him smile – happy, lovely, intelligent Taemin, the only person who’d given his theories the time of day – if he could even remember what day was like. Jonghyun thought Taemin had been sent from God himself to look after him, and he was so very grateful for that fact, “Alright, do we have any meat left?” he mused, 

“We don’t. I think Minho was talking about going to get some in a while though.” The younger boy said, still smiling as he leaned against the remains of the wooden doorway, “He’s weak though, he hasn’t eaten in three weeks out of worry. Taehyung is sick, and Jongin has a fever.”

“I’ll go.” Jonghyun said, patting Taemin on the back as he passed him, “Tell Minho to get some rest, and get Kibum to fetch some water. Look after the boys, please.”

“I will, hyung. Please be careful in the city. There’s wolves there now.” Taemin said, watching as Jonghyun picked up a rogue sack of weapons – possibly consisting of knives taped to sticks, bows crafted from left over bramble and twigs, arrows made from sharp flint, and poison made from unidentified berries that Kibum had burrowed for in the forest. 

The night is darkest before the dawn, that’s what Taemin always said, that’s what he’d told Namjoon, and Baekhyun, that’s what he’d said to Yoongi, Wonho and Jooheon and it’s what he would end up saying to Jongin and Taehyung, he’d told them all the same thing just moments before they faded – disappeared, melted into just another echo, another anomaly forgotten by the universe. 

Taemin would hold them, cradle them as they cried, begged for him to stop the pain, to keep them alive – he’d whisper to them words of comfort, that they’d be okay, they wouldn’t be hurting for much longer – they’d never scream again, never know anything but euphoria for the rest of eternity. Taemin couldn’t save them, Jonghyun could see that, but he did his best to make sure they thought they could be saved. It was admirable, inspirational, everything Jonghyun wanted to be. Everything he thought he never would be.

He thought a lot about why Taemin was so wise, he was only 26 years old yet somehow he managed to be the light of the group, the rationale – he was the leader of the pack without even knowing it.

It was times like this, when he was pulling the cowhide jacket he’d fashioned for himself around his broad shoulders as the wind nipped at his vitamin deprived body that he wondered about Taemin, about Minho and Kibum, about what life was like before this – wondered if thinking enough about the before times would bring them back, if he could somehow stop the people he loved from fading away – he thought often, and hard about why he’d never seen any of them pass, they’d been there one minute, and gone the next, as if simply a memory they would forget in time. 

The sky seemed deeper in the city than it did in the outskirts, a more expansive void, like something must be out there – waiting for him, for them, something like the universe he once knew. He didn’t have much time to think though, because he was walking then, into the wolves pit – see, it wasn’t as dark in the city, there were a few artificial lights that had survived whatever had happened there, but yet it still felt hauntingly empty. It was barely hunting, he thought, more like theft. 

Climbing through the smashed windows of formerly crowded supermarkets, and convenience stores whilst also avoiding the wrath of the starving wolves who’d yet to realise they could do exactly the same for the same outcome was something of an art that Jonghyun had perfected over the few months since the end. 

To begin with he would injure himself almost every time, returning to home camp with a map etched onto his skin from scraping against the sharp edges of the glass, but now he had found that wrapping his legs in leftover bandage, leaves and grass had meant he wouldn’t bleed. If he was honest, he hadn’t remembered a time since that he’d had to have Minho wipe him down, as much as he didn’t mind being doted on at every waking moment, there were times when he liked to feel strong and capable. 

The hunter thought that the world must have ended around a holiday, every time he entered a new store he would see signs covered in faded red hearts, boxes of white tinted chocolate that was stored in boxes of gold and purple, perhaps these things were symbols of love – he thought that it made complete sense that there had been a celebration of love during the before times, and it frustrated him that he couldn’t remember what it was like.

Jonghyun sometimes thought he knew what that felt like, to love, and to be loved in return – and other times he thought that he couldn’t have known, because If he had, he would be sure of it. Flashes of love came to him in dreams, a dazzling man – teeth white, eyes brighter than all the stars, skin soft and olive in colour, but there was never enough of the man, never enough to give Jonghyun what he wanted – the man in Jonghyun’s dreams was an echo, a shout into the void, a mystery – Jonghyun’s dream man was someone he would never meet, would never kiss, would never wax lyrical about on a Sunday evening as they sat watching over the Moses basket of their newborn daughter. 

The deep growl of a city animal, and a gentle sting of pain pulled him out of his daydream, “Oh shit.” He said, looking down to his hand which had began to throb with blood – a red stream falling onto the ground – something that he assumed had tempted the lone wolf toward him, “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, I’ll get you some food. Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me.” He said, backing away from the animal slowly – making his way down the darkened aisle toward the back of the small store that he’d climbed into, “It’s okay, pup. I’ll get you some food.” He continued to repeat the sentiments, as if the wolf even knew what he was saying, but it slowly became apparent that it was no use, the wolf had become still, waiting, as if it could pounce on Jonghyun at any second.

And then it did. The wolf, albeit one of the smaller ones, leaped into the air, which caused Jonghyun to fall back onto the wet tiled floor, the jacket slipping from his arms, and the blood from his hand staining the black and white pattern that the tiles created,   
Jonghyun could feel the world become a blur, and whether it was the blood loss or the weight of the animal as it landed on him he didn’t know, but what he was sure of is that he wasn’t alone, there was someone there – looming behind the wolf as it beared it’s teeth, it’s putrid saliva landing on Jonghyun’s pale cheeks,

“Get off him!” A familiar, yet so unfamiliar voice called as the view cleared, the animal was hauled backwards, its body moving as if it held no weight at all, as if it wasn’t a real object, “Fucking things. Are you okay?”

Jonghyun’s vision was still blurry as the man came into his line of sight, “Bleeding.” He managed to choke out, 

“You’re bleeding? Where?” The man seemed worried, more so than one should be having stumbled across what was, in all honesty, weak competition, “Show me where, Jonghyunie.” 

“Huh?” Jonghyun said, “What did you just say?” 

“Tell me where you’re bleeding!” The man repeated pressing the back of his hand to Jonghyun’s forehead, “Is it bad? Can you see me? Do you feel faint?”

And that’s when spots began to appear in Jonghyun’s vision, and the image of the man’s creased brow, his worried, yet bright eyes began to fade into nothing, suddenly, there was nothing but emptiness. He looked familiar, oh so beautifully familiar, Jonghyun was sure he’d seen his hundreds of times before. His teeth white, eyes brighter than all the stars, skin soft and olive in colour.

“Christ.” The man said to himself, “Lee Jinki, how do you always manage to get yourself into shit like this.”

-

The man, now known as Jinki, scanned Jonghyun’s body as it lay against the tiles, he was unconscious, but presumably healthy enough to be okay within a matter of hours.   
Despite this, Jinki pulled out a small device from his pocket, a metallic square with a top that flipped back to reveal more metal detailing, a tiny basket that looked like someone had turned a trash can upside down, flanked by a small plastic button and a sharp looking wheel, which when pressed upon with any speed would spark, and create something akin to human warmth. Fire, Jinki had a device in his back pocket that created fire. 

This, dear reader, might not seem impressive to you, but no one in Seoul had seen fire since the event. They hadn’t experienced warmth since the eternal winter began, and frankly, they barely remembered what it was, let alone how to create it. 

Everyone except Jinki.

He held the flame, which also provided adequate lighting, over Jonghyun’s hand, blood was still pumping from the wound which was surprisingly deep for something caused by a piece of glass in an old shop window – but then again, that was none of Jinki’s business, “I’m sorry, babe.” He said to himself more than to Jonghyun, as he ripped a strip of fabric from the light green t-shirt that was shielding the unconscious boy’s body, 

Jinki was surprised at what the removal of the material revealed, somehow, despite all the turmoil he’d gone through, Jonghyun had managed to retain a set of abs that would be envied by even the mightiest of gods. Jinki was very impressed but decided that now was not the time to be dwelling on Jonghyun’s abdominal muscles.

“Come on, let’s get you wrapped up.” He said to himself, pondering why Jonghyun had been so confused when Jinki had called him by his name, 

You see, Jinki had come from the past, just before the end times – a man had come to him with a warning, “Lee Jinki, take this device, and go where that book tells you. It’s important.” 

The man had handed him a pocket watch, a notebook, and the small metal lighter – and disappeared. 

That was a year ago from today – the day that Jinki had arrived in what he assumed was the future. Approximately three years after the day he’d married Jonghyun. 

Jinki had expected this, from what he’d read – he’d thought that it would happen, that the love of his life, the man he devoted his existence too wouldn’t know who he was. That’s why he’d waited til the day that the universe began to collapse. He couldn’t accept that he would have to convince Jonghyun to trust him again, that he would have to teach him how to love him again. 

If Jinki could change everything, make it all better – then God knows he would have by now.


	2. Fire and the rain.

Hours had passed since Jonghyun had left for the city, and Taemin was becoming worried for his safety. He’d heard about the wolves, their need for food – and he also knew that Jonghyun could be incredibly clumsy when he was distracted, and that he certainly was today. 

“Should we go and look for him?” Taemin pondered, as he sat on the inside of what was once an old florist store with Kibum and Minho, both of whom were clinging to each other – out of fear of the incoming dark of the night, and the fact they were both getting weaker and more cold, “He’s been gone for three hours.” 

“It’ll be okay, we can’t risk you going out too. Jongin and Taehyung are getting sicker by the second.” Kibum said, unravelling himself from Minho’s embrace to point toward the makeshift tent they had made from material left over in the rotting shell of the building they used for shelter,

“So that means we can just lose Jonghyun?” Taemin replied, his brow creased, “Don’t you think that’s a little careless?” 

“What?” Kibum replied, sitting up straighter now, as if he was preparing for a confrontation, “Careless? Taemin, after everything we’ve done for you here, you expect me to just let you call me careless, and for what? Because I know that Jonghyun will be fine? Because I trust him with my life, that I know he’s coming back because he would never leave us. Especially not you, kid, he’d walk to the ends of the Earth for you.”

“And that’s exactly why I think he needs help, Kibum.” Taemin said, dropping his honorifics for a moment, “Don’t you have anything to say about this, Minho.”  
“I don’t want to get involved, if you think you should go and find him, Taem, then you do what you want. I can’t stop you, neither can Bummie.” Minho said, rubbing his palms against his arms to emulate heat against the raging wind, 

“Well, thanks.” Taemin said, his eyes rolling a little as he stood, turning on the ball of his foot and leaving through the wooden door frame that had remained one of the only things intact, “I’ll see you l-“

He could barely finish his sentence before he was stopped in his tracks, a man was approaching the camp with something slung over his shoulder, something that looked suspiciously like another man, with what looked like a huge furry animal dragging behind them by rope, “Hello?” The mysterious man called, “Hello? Can I get a little help?”

Taemin was frozen in his spot, it had been so long since he’d spoken with anyone other than the people from his camp – he thought he might have forgotten how to interact with anyone other than them, “Uh.” He began, watching as the man slowly approached him, “I..”

“Taemin?” Jinki said as he got closer, “Oh, thank god, is that you?” 

“What?” Is all he could say, noticing that the man was, in fact, dragging a wolf big enough to feed the whole camp twice, with Jonghyun slung over his shoulder like he meant nothing to anyone, “Who are you?”

“Please come and help me with this.” He said, holding out the rope, “Please, Taemin, I won’t bite.”

“Who are you?” He repeated, his eyebrows knitting together as he squinted through the wind, “Don’t come any closer.” 

“Oh, Minnie, you’re so adorable. Where’s Minho, he’ll help me.” Jinki said, completely forgetting that nobody would have any idea who he was, let alone how he had killed a wolf, and managed to carry Jonghyun’s body weight on his back without so much as flinching, “..Oh. Oh right, um.”

“What’s going on?” Minho said, his arm snaking protectively around Taemin’s waist, as if to make it known that Taemin was a member of their pack, and they would stop at nothing to protect him, “Who are you, and why are you scaring our boy?”

“I’m Lee Jinki. I come in peace.” He said, a hint of a smile on his lips, “Oh, nice to see the trip didn’t get rid of my sense of humour. Now, will one of you buff boys come and help me with this wolf, these wolves. Jonghyunie passed out.”

“How do you know our names?” Minho said, his shoulders rising, as if to intimidate Jinki, “Where are you from?”

“Don’t worry about that now.” Jinki said, “I won’t hurt any of you, I have no bad intentions, and I’m here to help you.”

Kibum had appeared at Minho’s side now, his eyes narrowed into slits as he looked on the man who was clinging to Jonghyun like his life depended on it, “Who’s that? Why does he have Jonghyun.”

“Ah, Kibum.” Jinki said, “Nice to see you made it too. Come take this oaf from me, he needs to rest for a while, he lost a lot of blood.”

“And how exactly did that happen?” Kibum said, approaching the man, his arms outstretched to accept Jonghyun’s petite yet heavy body, “Did you hurt him?” 

“No, I helped him. This stupid wolf thought he was a snack.” Jinki said, shooing Kibum over to where the two deteriorating boys lay, snotty and chesty in equal amounts, “Don’t let him catch a cold.”

“God, who the fuck is this guy.” Kibum said, as he walked away from the group of men who were facing of from each other with varying degrees of heightened testosterone.

-

“Do you guys just sit here. In the cold?” Jinki said, looking around at the three men laying on beds made from cowhide and goose feathers, then back to the three men who were sitting across from him, “Like, where’s your fire?” 

“Fire?” Taemin said, looking back to Minho, who shrugged, “What’s that?”

“Excuse me?” Jinki replied, looking at the three men as if they had all collectively lost their minds, “Fire. Like, fire? Heat, for cooking? How do you make food? Jonghyunie was looking for meat, right? Do you eat it raw? Oh my god, kids, do you eat the meat raw?”

“How else do you eat meat, Jinki?” Minho said, his brow creasing in confusion, “I don’t get it.”

Jinki’s eyes were rounder than they’d ever been, as he stared at the three men who were more confused than he was somehow, “Oh my god. Okay, you’re supposed to cook it.”  
“And how exactly do we do that, Mr. All knowing?” Kibum said, pressing his palms together as if he was praying, “Please, let us know.”

“Hey, watch it kid.” Jinki replied, standing from his seat on the ground, and pulling out the metal lighter from his pocket, “This is much worse than I thought, I think I’ll have more than enough work to do with you. I mean, I didn’t think it would be simple, but I didn’t think that you’d all be sitting here eating raw wolf-ass for fun.”

“You think we do it for fun? God, you must be from a rich part of the apocalypse. We don’t exactly have a choice.” Kibum said, snark evident in his tone as he watched Jinki spin the wheel on his device,   
Suddenly, a light erupted from the metal casing, gold and orange glowing before their eyes, bright yellow sparks flying into the centre of their circle, “Remember?”   
They shook their heads, and even as Jinki leaned down, picking up the left over rubble, wolves fur, anything he could get his hands on that he thought might be even vaguely flammable, they still had no idea what would happen next. 

“It’s called a flame.” Jinki said, holding the device to the pile of trash he had created in the centre of the circle, “When this lights, I hope you’ll all start to remember, that’s what I need you to do, think about what you knew, the warmth, think about the memories you’ve had of being warm – that’s the most important thing right now, remembering.”

“Remembering what?” Kibum said, a statement which he had asked Jinki a few hours prior when he’d first started rambling about how he needed them all to remember, “You haven’t told us what we need to remember.”

“No, exactly. That’s the whole point, you need to remember. I can’t tell you, it has to be from you. That’s what he told me.” 

“Who?” Taemin said, squinting his eyes, 

“An old, wise man once told me so. He wrote it in a book, maybe one day it’ll become some sort of bible. How to Save The World, by Some Old Dude.” Jinki mused as the fire began to roar before their eyes, 

“It’s so.. Hot?” Kibum said, extending his hands toward it, the heat of the blaze nipping at the tips of his frost-bitten fingers, “I don’t understand. It feels, oh gosh. It feels like when I first met you, Minho. Hot, warm, it feels like love personified.”

“Kibum.” Minho said, his eyes flitting between his boyfriend and the fire, over to Jinki, and back to the fire, “Kibum, that’s the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.” He could feel tears welling in his eyes as he, too, extended his hand toward the fire, careful not to touch it, as the heat was so immense even from this far – it felt like it would do more harm than good to get any closer, “I love you, baby.” 

“Still absolutely sickening after all this time.” Jinki said, a hint of adoration in his eyes as he watched the two younger men gaze into each-other’s eyes, “Taemin cover your eyes, I think they’re about to make out right in front of us, 

“I’m 26 years old, Jinki.” Taemin said, looking toward the older man, who’s eyes had now transformed into small crescent moons on the heights of his cheeks, 

As if on cue, the four men heard the sound of movement from the sick bay, as Jinki had lovingly coined it, “Ah, right on time.” Jinki said to himself, as he stood from the crouching position he had adopted, “I’ll go check on him, you get warmed up.”

As he lifted himself, he felt the joints in his knees creak, he didn’t think his age was showing, but clearly he was wrong – it was only a dull pain he felt, but it was a pain nonetheless, “Morning, sunshine.” He chirped as he fell gently to his knees at Jonghyun’s side, “Did you have a good rest?”

Jonghyun barely moved as his eyes cracked open, the gently orange glow of the fire startling him as he looked up at Jinki, “Wh-“

“You passed out in the city; a wolf nearly got you.” Jinki said, pressing the back of his hand to Jonghyun’s forehead,   
“Who are you? Where’s Minho? Stop touching me, please.” Jonghyun said, lifting his arm, still painful from the wound he’d procured in the city, but strong enough to bat Jinki’s well meaning hand from his personal space, “Please get Minho.”

“It’s okay, Jj, you don’t need to worry, I won’t hurt you.” Jinki said, reaching for a clean bandage from the bag they kept close to the open-air beds, “I promise I just want to keep you safe.”

“I don’t care, get Minho.”

Jinki felt a twinge of pain in his heart, even though he knew it was coming – he hadn’t expected Jonghyun to be this cold, this dismissive of his attempts to help him – he couldn’t lie to himself and say it didn’t kill him to see his love ask for another man, “Okay.”

“Minho, Jonghyun wants you to help him.” Jinki said, trailing over to the main area of the camp, where the fire was blazing, “I left a clean bandage by him, but he wants you to change it.” 

Jinki knew what it was like to hurt, of course he did, but he thought that Jonghyun not trusting him to do something as menial as change a bloody bandage was a pain that he had never experienced in his life, his own lover denying him the simple right to care for him – Of course, Jinki knew it was a side effect of what was happening to the universe, but it was something he’d never expected to happen, even though he’d spent a year in the lead up to the event reading the notebook given to him by the mysterious traveller.

He took out the notebook as he peered over to Jonghyun, who was looking up at Minho with a fondness that Jinki had not experienced in what felt like forever, despite knowing that it had only been a few hours since he’d heard Jonghyun say “I love you”, for what he thought would be the last time, 

The notebook was filled with scribblings, ones that he recognised from his constant studying – he added to the empty pages at the back as he went, “Hm.” He hummed,   
Kibum was sitting across from him, still amoured by the fire before him, “Hyung?” He said loudly, hoping to be louder than the crackling and popping that was coming from the flames, “Who are you?”

“Jinki.” He replied, looking up from the notebook with a smile, “I told you.”

“No, I mean, who are you? Where are you from? Why are you here?” Kibum said, eyes still trained on the flames, 

“Now, Now, Bummie, isn’t that a little rude to be saying to your hyung? I’m here because this is where I need to be, and I think it’s quite clear that you kids needed my help.” Jinki said, a laugh evident in his voice, “Besides, Taemin needs to know when it’s past his bedtime. Which, going by the colour of the sky, is now.”

“Didn’t I tell you earlier, I’m 26.” Taemin replied, rolling his eyes, 

“And I said, it’s bedtime. Now let’s get going, little guy.” Jinki smiled brightly, a deep laugh erupting from his chest as he shooed the youngest of the pack toward the sleeping tent that was pitched next to the partially destroyed walls of the old store they now called home, 

“Why is it that suddenly I’m taking orders from you, I don’t even know who you are.” Taemin whined, picking himself up from the seat, “Like, I’m just going to go to bed because you told me to? That’s just what I do now. Fuck.”

“Language!” Came the call from all four of the other boys, as if they were compelled to do so, 

“Yeah, whatever. Goodnight. I hate you all.” Taemin said, ducking inside the tent that would usually house three, but now only held one, Taemin couldn’t risk catching whatever illness had plagued Taehyung and Jongin, yet he felt so desperately lonely without them,

“Love you too, Minnie.” Minho said, laughing as Taemin pulled the covering over the door.

-

Jinki had taken a few hours to build up the courage to offer the three boys some soju that he’d taken from the city that day, but he felt like around midnight was the perfect time – he hoped the offering would make them trust him a little more, to make him a part of their wildling family – he’d hoped Jonghyun would even glance his way, but neither of his hopes were fulfilled, as the three boys all agreed that it would be best if they stayed sober, for the sake of their sick brothers, and their injured leader. Jinki thought that was fair enough.

It was just moments after his offer was rejected that Kibum left the circle for his tent, dragging Minho by the wrist with him, “Goodnight, guys.” They’d both said in tandem, as they disappeared into the shadows of the cowhide,

“Night.” Jonghyun said, looking over to Jinki, who had his arms stretched over his head as he exhaled the final breath of a yawn, “Are you tired?”

“Yeah, I had a long day.” Jinki said, shooting a half-assed wink in Jonghyun’s direction – he knew that his former lover no longer trusted him, and wouldn’t react in the same way he wanted to the act of flirtation, but he couldn’t resist, he could never resist giving Jonghyun a little bit of charm, “I’ll sleep here. It’s not too uncomfortable.”

“Don’t be stupid.” Jonghyun said, standing quickly, a pink blush spreading across his cheeks and down his neck, “It’s not comfortable down there, I have blankets and feathers in my tent. I’ll sleep out here.”

“Jonghyun, a few hours ago you refused to let me touch you, and now you want me to sleep in your tent?” Jinki said, quirking his eyebrow, “You can’t sleep out here, you’re hurt, you need the comfort.”

“I might not want you to come too close to me right now, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t save my life, does it?” Jonghyun said, holding his hands out to the fire, “Sleep in my tent.”

It was endearing, to say the least – Jinki could barely refuse the offer after he saw the way Jonghyun looked down at him, circling behind him to take his place at the side of the fire away from the blow of the harsh wind, “You really don’t mind?” 

“No, now go!” Jonghyun was laughing a little now, pushing Jinki’s shoulders until he stood, “Sleep well, Lee Jinki, mysterious man of fire.”

Jinki smiled a little, something in his heart jumped, he knew Jonghyun still had no idea who he was, but yet something akin to hope joined the hurt in his soul, hope that maybe one day Jonghyun would think of him as they were, and not as they are.

-

Day came and went, they all slept soundly somehow, the howling of the wind barely causing them a problem as the gently drip drop of leftover rain fell onto the ground outside, that’s what woke Jinki up, the rain.

Jonghyun was outside. Alone, in the rain. 

“Jonghyun?” Jinki called, opening the door to the tent and seeing the man in question crouched on his haunches, his arms wrapped around himself – gently shivering, “Oh my god, Hyunie.” Jinki almost leapt from the confines of the fabric, his bare feet hitting the mud-covered ground as he wrapped his dry arms around the younger boy’s shoulders,   
“I didn’t want to wake you; I didn’t want to bother you.” Jonghyun said, the shivers coming through as he spoke, “You deserved the rest.”

“Come on, come on, Jjongie, it’s okay, don’t worry.” Jinki said, lifting the smaller boy in his arms, and pulling him toward his chest, “You should’ve come in, you didn’t need to wake me.”

“I thought you’d be mad, I don’t know why it bothered me, but I didn’t want you to hate me. Please, I can’t remember, I don’t know why I didn’t want to make you mad.” Jonghyun could feel the tears in his eyes as he rambled, 

“Ssh, ssh, it’s okay. Come here, lie down.” Jinki said, laying Jonghyun on the dry blanket as he pulled another from the pile, “I’ll dry you off, is that okay?” 

Jonghyun just nodded as Jinki gently pressed the fluffier side of the blanket against his bare skin, 

“Don’t ever be afraid of me, Jj, I would never hurt you, okay? I could never be angry at you.” Jinki said, as he wrapped the blanket around Jonghyun’s soaked hair, patting it gently, 

“Who are you?” Jonghyun said, his eyes falling closed as Jinki massaged his fingers into the blanket come towel, “Where are you from?”

“I can’t tell you, Hyunie. You need to remember.” Jinki said, moving his body down to lay next to Jonghyun, “I came from the same place you did, but you need to remember what that means.”

“Please tell me, I want to trust you.” Jonghyun said, sleep taking over his cold body as Jinki turned away laying a blanket across them both, 

“And you will, Jonghyun, you will one day.” 

Sleep came easily to them both now, warm and dry in joint presence, Jonghyun felt safe, safer than he had in a while – he couldn’t explain why the mysterious man made him feel this way, but he knew there must be something – something that ran a little deeper than just saving his life from a wolf that, in all honesty, Jonghyun probably could’ve dealt with on his own – it must have been.

Jonghyun found himself shuffling closer to the older man, his arm reaching out to him as if it was the most natural thing on Earth, as if he’d done it a thousand times before – Jonghyun thought that maybe in another life, at another time, he had. 

Jinki felt like home, somehow, but Jonghyun thought now wasn’t the time to be dwelling on the dull throb of pain in his chest when Jinki covered his hand with his own, as if they were made for this, as if it wasn’t something new.

It was simply them. 

-

It was a day later before the men emerged from their tents, looking around the barren landscape so lacking in life that it almost took away all their hope of ever living a normal life, so barren that they almost didn’t notice Taemin, sitting on the beds, in the corner of the camp – his legs tucked up to his chin, tears rolling down his cheeks and strained sobs coming from his raw throat, 

“Taemin, oh god, what’s wrong?” Minho said, moving over to the bay as quickly as he could, sleep still evident in his appearance, “Taem, talk to me.”

“It’s Jongin, and..and Taehyung.” Taemin said, “They faded.”

“Oh god, oh no, it’s okay, it’s alright.” Minho said, wrapping his arms around the boy’s shoulders as sobs took over his body, “Don’t worry, they’re not in pain anymore, they’re better now. Baby, shh, they’re safe, you looked after them well, Taemin, remember that.”

It wasn’t that Taemin didn’t know that, he knew he looked after them, and he knew they felt safe in their final moments – their peace was his only priority as they faded, and his only hope was that their peace would continue wherever they went next. Taemin was simply distraught, he was alone again – everyone had someone, Minho had Kibum, Jonghyun was convinced there was someone left for him, and now Jinki was here, the all knowing, all loving, all confident Lee Jinki – Taemin was barely needed anymore, and he felt awful – he was no longer crying for the loss of his friends, since he knew one day he would join them, now he was crying for the loss of purpose.

He would do anything to mean something to someone.

-

Minho had been the next person to fall ill, whether it be from the food they were eating, or the lack of food they had been eating, none of them knew – but what they did know is that Minho was falling more sick, more quickly than the others had, it had taken them days to fall into a state where they were constantly burning up, constantly sniffling and throwing up – but it had taken Minho little less than 24 hours to have his body wracked with sickness, and Jinki wasn’t sure what he could do about it.

He read through the mysterious notes over and over, looking for writing that would give him a cure, something that would bring Minho back to full health – but the only mention of cure came with only one word, ‘remembrance’. 

He knew they weren’t ready yet, they wouldn’t be able to remember – it wasn’t like he could tell them. He knew it wouldn’t work if he gave away too much – ‘the remembrance has to be organic’ is something he could remember from early on in the notes, the mad man’s scribblings that told him the secrets of the universe had also managed to be his downfall. He didn’t know exactly how many hints to drop – he’d hoped his face would be enough, he was wrong. He’d hoped the fire would be enough, again, he was wrong. He’d hoped that Jonghyun would have remembered something by now, but he hadn’t. 

Jinki was slowly running out of options, and he knew that time was running out for them, and fast.


	3. Remembrance, and what it does to a man.

There was a tension surrounding the camp knowing that Minho was worsening, knowing that Taemin had just lost his best friends, Jonghyun sat across from Jinki as he scribbled into a notepad, drawing shapes and lines, secretive words in a language that Jonghyun couldn’t remember. 

None of them knew if they could trust this man – it had been days since he’d arrived here, heroic to the bone as he threw a wolf from atop Jonghyun, crying his name as if they had been well acquainted,

“Jinki.” Jonghyun said, looking over the top of the notepad, “Where’d you come from?”

“The same place as you did, Jonghyun.” Jinki said, the beginnings of a smirk forming on his lips, “I’ve told you before, you don’t need me to tell you.”

“And I’ve told you before, I have no idea what that means.” Jonghyun said, a hint of scolding in his tone as he spoke, “I need you to be more specific if you want me to trust you.”

Jinki looked up from the paper in front of him, tucking the wooden pencil he had fashioned from raw materials behind his ear, and stretching his arm over to cup the younger mans cheek, his finger caressing at the softly blushed skin of Jonghyun’s cheek, it was tender – and unlike anything Jonghyun could ever remember feeling, “Jonghyun, that’s not the point. You must remember. It’s important that you remember.”

“Why is it so important?” Jonghyun said, the anger in his voice slowly increasing as he pushed Jinki’s hand from his face, “Why do you expect me to be able to do that, Jinki? I met you three days ago, and since then you’ve done nothing but promise to make things better, promise to save us all from whatever you claim is coming – that, by the way, you’ve decided that you can’t, or won’t tell us about. You’re not saving us, you’re tearing us apart, we’re all sick with worry – we lost two people in as many days. Not that you noticed, not that you even cared.”

Jinki knew there was nothing he could do, Jonghyun’s stream of consciousness was always unstoppable – if he had something to say to someone then he wouldn’t stop until everything was off his chest, and it was certainly obvious that everything was not off of his chest today.

“If you can’t even give us the benefit of knowing where the hell you came from, let alone what your motive is for being around us – people you’ve never met, people who you would have never even known about had this stupid world not somehow ended, then why should we ever trust you? How do we know that you won’t do something dangerous?” Jonghyun was just ranting now, both the boys could feel that the words weren’t coming from a place of genuine anger, but more exhaustion with the lack of answers, and the lack of security, “What do you want from us?”

“You know what I want, Jonghyun. I know you felt it.” Jinki said, looking over his shoulder, toward Taemin who was standing behind them like a child who was witnessing their parents argue, “Everything okay, Taem?” 

“Not really.” Taemin said, his hands wringing at each other, and a tear threatening to fall from the corner of his eye, “It’s Minho. He’s fading. Kibum is in bits, he doesn’t know what to do.”

Jinki looked up to the sky as the youngest boy spoke, he had taken note of the ferocious burning star that had been getting larger by the day as he did. His notebook had confirmed to him what this meant, that he would be told by a young man that his brother was fading, and that if he were to look up at that very moment, the star would become apparent to him. 

He was scared. Scared for them, scared for Minho, for Kibum. He didn’t want Taemin to see his own family fade, he sprung to his feet, looking at the back of Jonghyun’s head, “Jjong.” He said, a stern tone to his words, “Look at me.”

“Huh?” Jonghyun said, looking over his shoulder, “What?”

“Look at me. Not past me, not through me, Jonghyun. Look at me. You don’t want to remember, I know you don’t, and I get it, you’re scared. We all are, but I need you to look at me.”

“Why?” Jonghyun said, feeling deep in his heart that he knew exacty why, exactly what he needed to do now, not only for himself, but for his friends, for Jinki and for everyone they’d lost, “Jinki, please don’t make me. I can’t do it, I can’t.”

Jonghyun could feel every emotion he’d ever felt bubbling at the base of his throat, he knew what Jinki meant, what Jinki needed him to do, he’d known it from the second Jinki had looked at him in the city. With his teeth white, eyes brighter than all the stars, skin soft and olive in colour, Jonghyun had known from then, even if he hadn’t quite realised it, he knew Jinki, he’d always known him – and all he needed to do now was remember why.

“You have to, Jonghyun, b-. It’s important, it’s really the most important thing you’ll ever do. I promise it’ll all be okay, it’ll always be okay if we’re together. I promise you.”  
“Jinki, please.” Taemin said, meekly from behind the pair, “We need you to help them.” 

A sage nod came from the eldest, as he reached his hand out to Jonghyun, who somehow, through the confusion and the pain, took it, “Come on.” He said, as he lead them all around to where Minho lay, where Taehyung and Jongin had once laid too, 

“Hey there.” He said, gently, his hand still entwined with Jonghyun’s, “It’s all gonna be okay, alright?”

Minho nodded, looking up to the three men who had appeared through hooded lids, “I’m the weakest link, aren’t I?”

“No, no, you are not, don’t ever say that, Minho. You’re strong, stronger than all of us. Look at you, fighting against all the odds to stay here for us. You’re going to be fine, kid. I promise.” Jinki said, a loud confidence in his tone as he did so, turning to face his once-husband, who’s eyes were clouded with tears, and with fear, 

“Don’t be scared. If you’re scared, you won’t be able to do it.” Jinki said, bringing his free hand up to Jonghyun’s cheek, “Please smile, for me.”

Jonghyun did as he was told, his teeth showing as he smiled, his eyes turning into crescents as he did so, it seemed genuine, if only for one fleeting moment, “You’re so beautiful.”

It was almost as if those three words triggered something in Jonghyun, his eyes flew open, the size of two full moons, glittering with all the stars in the galaxy as something within his brain snapped back into place, “What?”

“W-what?” Jinki said, his hand dropping to cup Jonghyun’s neck as they looked at each other, equally as shocked, “What is it, Hyunie?”

“Jinki, Lee Jinki.” Jonghyun said, moving his hand to grip Jinki’s wrist, “It’s you, it’s always been you. I thought I was alone out here with no one in the universe to love me, but all this time, it’s been you.”

“What are you saying?” Jinki said, his eyes beginning to fog up with tears, of sadness, of happiness, of every emotion he’d forgotten to feel over the chaotic three days that he’d been here, “Jonghyun, you have to tell me.”

“I’m saying, Jinki, what I’m saying is that I remember. I remember you, I remember everything. I remember what you told me on the day you left, you told me that you’d never forget me, and you told me that it was okay to move on, but it wasn’t okay to forget. Jinki, you made me promise that I would remember you. Remember our love, our marriage. Something new, something old, something borrowed… and you.” Jonghyun was crying now, like he’d cried on many nights, but this time he knew what he was crying for, he was crying for the loss he felt, for the happiness he’d found, for everything and everyone in the universe,

“Say it, Jonghyunie, please.” Jinki said, tears streaming from his eyes as he looked up to the sky, the burning ball of fire that was once approaching the earth at a speed no one could control was retreating, moving back to it’s rightful place, “Please tell me.”

_“Lee Jinki. I remember you. I love you, and it’s always been you. I remember.”_

There were no more words exchanged between the pair, as they moved to close the gap between them, their eyes snapping closed as their lips collided in what was their first kiss in four years, for Jonghyun, at least, it was eerily silent as they moved together in a beautiful unison, darkness as they took each other in, every flavour, every scent, every movement they made – it was only them now, as it had always been. Jinki and Jonghyun, Jonghyun and Jinki, together once again. 

The silence was parted only by the gentle whispers of their friends, “We remember. We remember too.” Their voices said, a distant thought now, as the pair drank each other in.  
Their lips were parted but their eyes didn’t open as they whispered sweet words into each other’s mingling breath, I love you’s, I miss you’s, please never leave me again’s, lost in the haze of love as they reacquainted themselves with each other, gripping tightly onto the clothing on their skin as they kissed again, wanting to ground each other so desperately so neither floated away again.

It had been five minutes since either of them had opened their eyes, and the brightness when they did was something they would never forget, the white washed walls that surrounded them as they stood on a plush carpet, surrounded by furniture they’d picked out just weeks before.

Of course they were.

Why wouldn’t they be?

“H-happy Valentine’s?” Jinki said, a quirk to his voice, as if it were a question, “Do you feel weird?”

“What?” Jonghyun said, smiling brightly as he bopped his forehead against Jinki’s, “What do you mean?”

“I just feel like there’s something I’ve forgotten.” Jinki said, looking down to the card he was holding in his hand, “You know what I mean?” 

“Absolutely not, you old idiot. Now come here and give me my gift.” Jonghyun said, with a wink, a wink that made Jinki smile, every worry he had faded away as he watched his husband throw his head back with glee, an oversized shirt that was partially opened, and the sunlight streaming onto his deep chocolate eyes, 

“Open your card first, baby.” Jinki said, watching as Jonghyun tore the envelope, reading out the words that were etched inside in pencil, rain droplets staining the page, as if it had not been written inside the walls of their marital home, but somewhere else, somewhere foreign to both of them,

“For you, the one star that never went out, my light at the end of the universe.

My Jonghyunie.

I love you, even when there’s nothing else left to love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiii again!!! <3 i haven't proof read this entire thing bcos its literally 4am...............ahaaaa anyway!! i hope u all loved it like i loved it, maybe one day i can expand on this universe nd really explain some of the stuff in detail :( im sorry if some was a little confusing!! this is my first time writing something like this and i rly wanted to express as much love as i could for the characters :))))
> 
> again follow me on twt or shoot me a dm (@froghyunz) if u liked this pls leave a comment and let me know

**Author's Note:**

> leave me feedback in the comments and make sure to drop me a dm on twt @froghyunz, or an anonymous message on curiouscat :D curiouscat.me/froghyunz (linked also on my twt)


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